Born on 1 January 1962

Back in 1962, the world felt like it was shifting gears, though we didn't quite know it yet. You’d walk down the high street and the air smelled of coal smoke and damp wool, but through the window of the local electrical shop, everyone was huddled to catch a glimpse of *Steptoe and Son* or a bit of *Z-Cars*. If you had a few bob, you’d head to the cinema for *Dr.

No* and see Sean Connery make being a spy look like the best job on earth. The radio was a bit of a battleground; your mum wanted Ken Dodd, but the kids were all waiting for "Telstar" to beep across the airwaves. It was a proper "meat and two veg" era—nothing fancy, just a Sunday roast and maybe a glass of Watneys Red Barrel if you were at the local.

But oh, that winter! We didn't know the "Big Freeze" was about to bury us in snow that wouldn’t budge until Easter. While the Cuban Missile Crisis had us all a bit jittery, wondering if it was the end of the world, we still found time to marvel at the new Lego sets or play with a Slinky on the stairs.

It was a simpler, slower time, right before the Beatles truly blew the doors off.